


r//prototype_bleeding_metal_.exe

by plugnickel



Category: Metal Gear, Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Flirting, Bad Flirting, Bad Puns, Body Horror, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone Is Gay, Gay, Gay Panic, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Multiple Character Perspective Shifts, One Shot, Original Character(s), Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, first real fic, gotta work on that waxl ship name, i couldn't explain who people were just go with it, if you're confused on who ppl are just look at wikis pls, or else you done for, possibly WAY too long in length but not long enough for a second chapter, this thing was getting too long anyways, y'all better know mega man or resident evil or metal gear, y'all better like gay robots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 19:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18037157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plugnickel/pseuds/plugnickel
Summary: After the world came together in a word wide effort to resist a world-ending apocalypse, MGRR's (Metal Gear Rising Revengeace) "Maverick" must investigate rumors of Albert Wesker, a former associate who managed to trick Maverick into giving over their military secrets. They send three of their own: Raiden, Zero, and Axl to hunt down the fugitive. Axl, a Maverick-Hunter-in-training comes to face with a decision: Will he face his demons, or forsake the lives of thousands?





	r//prototype_bleeding_metal_.exe

With the world already in ruins, Zero couldn’t have possibly expected this. Yet, the Reploid had been through enough repetition for it to become a habit to expect the unexpected. Cities across the states had been reduced to ruins with even the tallest skyscrapers becoming lonesome pillars in the face of disaster. Some say it was the second coming of Christ, or perhaps the Anti-Christ, or the Mayan prediction just a few decades delayed, but Zero knew better than to believe in prophecies and tall tales told in the wake of hysteria.

His mind began to drift off to more recent events however, in recollection as he and his teammates came upon their destination. They paused on a cliff overlooking what appeared to be yet another destroyed city, but it didn’t seem quite right. The city was still abuzz with life, with normal citizens walking around at a normal pace, yet a electronic buzz hung in the air, causing Zero to groan in discomfort. The Maverick Hunter reached for his codec.

“This is Zero, calling into base. We’ve arrived at the designated way point, but something’s not quite right with the city.”

  
What came back in response was a thick German accent mixed with concern. A voice belonging to the great Doktor of Maverick INC. himself. 

“Eh, well, there does appear to be some sort of electrical interference in your location coming from somewhere in the heart of the city. I’m detecting no EMPs in your location, however. Boris hasn’t seen anything unusual, at least not yet, so there’s practically no clues as to what could be interfering with our comms. Hah, I’m surprised that they’re even still working.”

A small smirk came upon Zero’s lips. “Understood. Any sign of the target?”

A deep sigh came from the other end of the line.

“Nothing. Other than his most recent show of power, Albert Wesker is nowhere to be seen. Keep an eye out out for any trace of him, _da?”_

“Roger that. Zero out.”

Doktor, Maverick’s chief scientist and engineer, was running the logistics back at base while Boris, the head of Maverick, watched over in a helicopter just a few miles out. An unusual chain of command, yet for the benefit of the mission, it worked out just perfectly. Dok needed to see more and more of Reploid battle data, as much as he could get his hands on, and this mission might just be Zero’s time to seize the Doc his lucky golden egg.

Taking a moment to glance over at his companions, Zero began to address the situation in full. His eyes met one of his partners, Axl, in which the two Reploids nodded in unison, each nod as subtle as the other. They had both seen this kind of thing before, and knew that the knowledge had to be passed on to their third companion, a cyborg named Raiden. The two Reploids turned their gazes to their cyborg partner, in which Axl beat Zero to sharing the information.

“We’ve seen this kind of thing before, Raiden. It’s… some kind of illusion, a hologram, kind of. Only, this is,” Axl’s worried gaze turned back to the city, leading for Zero take over and continue.”  
  
“...Different.” Raiden’s head and gaze turned to meet Zero’s at the words, in which a certain silence came between the two. The heavy air of distrust hung in the air like a disease, and Zero couldn’t wait to expunge it. Yet, like all things between them, it would have to wait to be resolved.

With a brief roll of his eyes, Zero continued. “The city’s under some sort of hologram. None of what we’re seeing is real. Plus, there’s that barrier we have to get through if--”  
  
“Ah, that would make sense,” The doctor interrupted excitedly. “Perhaps if you could get just a smidge closer to the source of the signal, I could have the data extracted, and we could lift the barrier _and_ the hologram!”

Raiden’s voice finally broke through into the conversation with its usual deadpan drag. “Isn’t the source inside the city, though? How exactly are we supposed to shut it down if it’ll have to be from the inside?”

“Mmnh, well, that’s the thing. One of the Reploids must go in, and only one. We only have a smidge of data from the schematics of the shield that we managed to snag from that patrol down the road, the barrier can only handle one penetration within a designated time period, or else the city will implode in on itself. We’ll have to choose our plan of attack wisely if we’re to get this right.”

  
“Quite the party trick.” Raiden mumbled with just a hint of a smile on his lips. There was a soft snicker from Axl.

“If you mean to destroy the city and kill hundreds of lives in one blow, sure.” Zero chipped in, the Reploid kneeled down as he observed the city. “Then it’s quite the party trick.”

There were several groans and sighs on the other end of the line, all of which were almost all in unison. Kevin, Raiden’s closest friend, spoke up first, with Courtney, another close friend, coming in second.

  
“C’mon guys, play nice, ok?”

“We know this is your guys’ first mission together since, well… you guys already know. But, like Kevin said, play nice, ok?”

There was another voice that chimed in once the rest had settled as Raiden and Zero directed their attention back towards the city. Axl, being physically present in the middle of their little spat had had enough, and took to attempting to lighten the mood.

Axl watched as the two of them shook their heads when they looked back towards the city. Axl eventually did so himself as he began to speak, but couldn’t find the right words to say. When he opened his mouth he could almost taste the electricity in the air, and could feel it across his armor, as if it was dancing on the metal. In hopes of changing the mood of the mission to a lighter one, Axl sought a topic, and began using his optics to zoom in further towards the city, when he could suddenly see a bright ring fall down from the tallest skyscraper to the edge of the city. Axl’s breath caught in his throat when he noticed a bright red light atop the tallest building, which was nearly dead center in the middle of the city. He reached for Raiden and Zero’s hands, lightly brushing the fingertips of both in order to get their attention. He had found his topic, but it wasn’t likely to be a very pleasant one.

“Guys, guys, look! I-- I-I see something,” Axl pointed excitedly, his free hand gripping onto Raiden’s forearm, earning him a grunt from the cyborg. There was a quiver of fear in his voice. “Right there. On the tallest building.”

Zero took it upon himself to zoom into exactly what Axl was pointing out with such fervor, and as his lenses began to focus, the image finally become clear enough for him to distinguish what it was. Or rather, _who_ it was. There stood Wesker himself, proudly displaying himself in plain view, a blank expression on his face until a few moments passed, in which the flat lips of the distant man turned into a twisted smile full of satisfaction, deceit and pride.

With a heavy tone, Zero spoke out, quickly tapping into his codec so that the others back at base could hear what he was saying. “It’s Wesker. He’s atop the tallest building, on the roof. He’s facing right towards us.”

It took Raiden only a few extra moments after snickering from Axl’s little tug, a smile on his lips briefly present until Zero’s words were spoken. He tapped into his own camera implemented into his one remaining eye, but by the time that it came into focus, Wesker was already gone. It stirred an irritated feeling in his stomach, his tone returning the aura hanging in the air back to an uneasy one as he lashed out at Zero.

“He’s not _there_. We don’t have time for jokes, Zero. Why would you call it if it wasn’t--”

Raiden began to rise to continue his statement, and as he did, Axl lost his grip on his arm, and Zero stood up to defend himself from the cyborg’s verbal attack.

“I called it because he was _there_. Stop acting like a child and focus on the mission.”  
  
“I _am_ focusing on the mission,” Raiden began, yet Zero managed to cut him off to get a few more words in.

“And yet you continue to lack to grasp the concept that Wesker is a slippery bastard that’s been evading us for years now, and he has a damn good habit of disappearing at the most _convenient_ time. Now, could you get your cyborg prick out of your ass, so we can all continue this?”

“Listen,” Raiden began, slightly moving towards Zero, with Axl’s expression beginning to twist into one of concern. “I just think this isn’t the right time for jokes, and that this could probably go a whole lot smoother if we don’t repeat what happened the last time you and I worked on a mission together.”

  
Axl stood up and began extending his arms as the two began to inch closer as the argument continued. “Guys, knock it off,” He began, his voice almost timid. “This isn’t the time. We gotta find--”

“That mission’s failure was all on you, and you know it. If you hadn’t reached for your blade and cause unnecessary casualties when there didn’t have to be any, we wouldn’t be here arguing like this. Now can we continue on with the mission already?”

“Guys,” Axl began once again, yet he was cut off by Raiden’s venomous tone. The two were inching closer and closer, until Axl’s arms were fully extended, his palms pressed up against both of their chests.

  
“If I hadn’t--”

 

“If you hadn’t reached for your sword, that little girl would still be alive.”

  
  
Raiden froze for just a moment, his voice reduced to a shaking quiver as he held back his building rage. “You leave Sunny out of this.” There were traces of lightning dancing across his arms.

 

“Fine, as long as you promise to _believe me_ the next time I spot out our main objective.”

  
  
“How could I possibly believe you when you let--”

  
  
_“GUYS_ _!!”_

 

Axl’s voice rang through the desolate air, and all at once, the tension that was hanging in it disappeared almost immediately. Axl’s previous expression of concern turned to a more irritated one. His internal systems were churning at what he had just learned, yet he had to steady himself if he were diffuse the situation. He had Zero and Raiden’s attentions, and he wasn’t going to let go of them now.  
  
“What happened back then was more than bad, and you guys can tough it out later, but, for the sake of the mission, calm down, ok? This just… _really_ isn’t the time.”  
  
Axl had been planning to hold back the two for much longer than it had lasted, but the action of Zero deciding to take himself away from the confrontation allowed for Axl to finally lower his arms in a heavy exhale of relief. Raiden himself had his gaze locked on Zero for some time however until Doktor chimed in once more, hoping to diffuse the situation.

“Axl is right, the mission is much more important than your emotions you two, as much as it pains me to say it. Yet, there’s more I must tell you.”

  
“Shoot, Dok,” The words came from Raiden as he faced himself away from Zero, the flickers of lightning still dancing across his arms.  
  
“After examining the data more closely, I came upon something rather… inconvenient. The barrier is protected by an advanced firewall, allowing only a certain code to pass through. Ah, in other words, only Reploid can enter the barrier.”  
  
“All right, I’ll go. It’ll be good to put some distance between Raiden and I,” Zero chimed in, ready to descend down the cliff.  
  
“No, wait, you don’t understand. It isn’t you that can get through the barrier, Zero.”  
  
Zero’s internal systems felt as if they were beginning to twist. For the first time in a long time, he felt fear rising within him. “No, Dok, he’s not ready to go solo with Wesker, not yet. There has to be another way.”

Doktor sighed as Raiden inched closer to Zero in order to listen in. He had suppressed his frustration enough towards Zero to be calm when he eventually spoke. Axl’s comm was left out of the frequency and they had stepped away from where the Reploid stood, leaving the young Maverick Hunter confused and nearly deaf to the conversation.  
  
“Sadly, there seems to be no other way. Wesker specifically programmed the barrier to let in only one code, and that code is imprinted into Ax’s programming. He’s… targeting him.”

  
“On purpose,” Raiden growled, the sound resonating deep within his voice. “Is there any way you can hack into the system, Dok?”

  
The German’s voice was laced heavily with worry as he pinched his temple with his fingers. “Not without access to the main terminal, where the signal is originating from. Without Axl going in, we’ll never get eyes on Wesker’s newest work. Plus, the longer we wait, the longer we give him time to work on his, _eh_ , well, _monstrosities_.”  
  
Zero had remained silent throughout Dok and Raiden’s exchange until an important yet obvious fact made its way into his head. A moment of silence had fell between the three of them until Zero broke the silence with more words laced into his currently heavy tone of obvious distress.

“So our only option is to send him in alone, and _hope_ he doesn’t run into Wesker? You must be joking.”

  
A sound of regret came from the scientist in the form of a deep hum. “Sadly, I am not, _lieber Gefährte_. He must go in, if we’re to save these people… _and_ their city.”

  
This time, a longer fall of silence fell upon the group as they began to think, leaving Axl to peer over curiously in an aura of concern.  
  
“Um, Zero? Raiden? Did -- did I hear that right? Am I going in… alone?”  
  
Zero finally turned to Axl, his face returning to a more blank expression as he prepared himself for the inevitable. He could feel Raiden’s eye on him as he moved over towards Axl in slow strides, as if to avoid startling a deer. Eventually he made his way close enough to Axl to where he could touch him if he so wished. He stopped to look into Axl’s eyes, and could see the clearly hidden fear in the young Hunter’s eyes.

He placed his hand on Axl’s shoulder without a second thought, and softened his gaze.

“Yes. You are. I know you can this. You’re Axl, one of the greatest Maverick Hunter’s to ever walk among us. Besides, you were never able to pass your Hunter Exam back home in Neo Arcadia, remember? So, go ahead. Shut down that barrier and let Raiden and I in, and you pass. Deal?”  
  
By the end of Zero’s speech Axl’s eyes were filled with tears. They began to leak down Axl’s cheek just as he nodded, and just as Zero encouraged him with a quiet “Good luck”, Axl came forward and gave Zero a tight hug. The two Reploids clinked together due to their solid armor, leaving Raiden to watch in curious silence. When the two finally pulled back from their tight embrace, Axl was the first one to speak as he quickly wiped away his tears.

Attempting to smile, Axl let out a soft exhale. “Promise we’ll take him down together?”

In response, Zero did a solid nod back to Axl, and this time was smiling widely for even Raiden to see.

“Promise.”

-

By the time Axl had made it into the city, the streets were heavy with fog, and the electronic buzz was even more intense in his head than it had been up on that cliff. It made the young Hunter want to kneel down and scream, so at least _something_ would be louder than the steady humming in his head. It reminded him all too well of the slumbering piece of Lumine inside of him, another Reploid whom of which had bested Axl in combat after he had let his guard down. His fellow Reploid had infected him with an advanced version of the Maverick Virus, a virus that could allow Axl to go Maverick, or simply put, insane, at will. It was a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off, and the only persons on Earth who knew of this fact was himself, Doktor, and Wesker. The knowledge that Wesker was aware of this weakness in Axl made the Reploid eager to get this mission over with, so that he could go back to base and take the longest power down in his life cycle.

These facts caused the Reploid’s metal skin to crawl, as if he had human goosebumps. Axl began to fully take in his surroundings in an attempt to ease his neuron cables. All around him were holographic images of women, children, random citizens enjoying their lives. For just a moment, Axl felt at peace. Despite their physical appearances of being nearly completely transparent, they looked extremely realistic.

As Axl took a moment to look around, he noticed a little girl obtaining a shiny new balloon from her parents, and she quickly ran off with glee. He also spotted a young couple proposing to each other, in which the two women fell over onto the grass as one tackled the other, accepting the proposal. The last thing he saw was a field with dozens upon dozens of people in it, gazing up into the sky to watch the holographic fireworks crackle apart and explode into all kinds of colors. The sight made Axl’s spark flutter, even if it was all an illusion. He had never seen fireworks before in his life cycle, but heard about them through Courtney and Kevin.

He had almost forgotten about his mission until one of the holograms turned its gaze right towards him. Curious, Axl turned to see what exactly the hologram was looking at. It was a little boy accompanied by his mother and father, and the longer the boy stared in Axl’s direction, the more he began to understand why the boy’s face was contorting itself into a look of pure terror. The boy wasn’t looking directly through him, he was looking straight _at_ him.

The truth finally hit him when the boy suddenly screamed in terror, and all of the citizens stopped dead in their tracks and turned their gazes to be locked straight onto him. The world went silent, the buzzing in Axl’s head replaced with deafening silence, and the child’s screams. The child was quickly followed by the rest of the citizens in a unified ocean of screams, lighting Axl’s senses ablaze. His eyes went wide with terror as they all came together and rushed towards the Reploid, seizing them in their grip. Axl’s breathing picked up immediately, a panic attack consuming him as he made an attempt to make a vertical ascent with his boosters on the bottom of his feet. A few feet of distance was made before Axl was pulled back down to the city street by force, and a cry escaped the Reploid as he entered a state of full panic.

The citizens began tearing at his armor, pulling him apart piece by piece. Bits of his shoulder and leg armor were being torn apart bit by bit. Axl’s screams and hyperventilated breaths were drowned out by the sound of his body being torn apart in addition to the screaming of the holograms. He squirmed and struggled to release himself from the grip of the many illusions, yet his movements passed straight through him as they continued to tear him apart.

The attack continued until Axl’s inner system plunged into the deepest part of himself. He was going to die here. He was going to fail. Raiden, Zero, Doktor, all of them. He didn’t even have the emotion to cry. He let his mind go blank, allowing himself the peace to drift off into his thoughts as the Reploid closed his eyes.

He was ready. Then the silence came.

Axl’s eyes snapped open when the silence fell. All the sudden his nervous system came to life, and he sat up in a flurry of motion, searching for his wounds. Nothing. Not a scratch. He looked around with a gaze of pure panic, the same he had before he had accepted his fate. All of the holograms were gone without a trace as to where.

Gathering the courage to stand, Axl rose back to his feet in a more timid manner than he would have liked, yet at the current time he couldn’t care less. His systems were on full alert. Gaze darting back and forth in a rapid manner, searching for any sign of the beings who were previously tearing him apart, Axl wanted to cry. He nearly gave into that feeling until he heard a certain chuckle, just a short distance away. He turned slowly, preparing himself for the inevitable sight. Yet he couldn’t prepare himself enough. Eventually he made his full turn, and saw the source of the laughter staring him down. Except this time, it was no hologram.

Axl gathered his courage once again, and spoke in the steadiest tone he could muster.

  
“I was wondering when you’d show up. So, you’re into holograms that attack people now? What happened to your extreme interest in diseases? Viruses, or whatever?”

  
A deep chuckle escaped Wesker, a sound Axl had now come to fear. The man began adjusting his gloves as he began to speak, his tone matching the amusement on his face.

 

“So, the holograms worked. Excellent. By your reaction I suppose you enjoyed the realism they give off? Such beautiful programming I have at my fingertips, yet you haven’t even seen my best work, Axl.”

  
Axl reached for his guns, and let his needle-like wings to drop down from their place on his back. He quickly aimed the guns straight at Wesker, trying extremely hard to control his shaking.

 

“I don’t _want_ to see your best work, I just want the terminal that’s holding up this barrier you’ve got up. Where is it! Tell me!”

  
Wesker’s tongue had clicked on the top of his mouth as he finished adjusting his gloves, and moved on to adjusting his glasses instead. A cold wind blew as the two of them conversed, leaving Wesker to look like a ghost in the street. It took all of Axl’s courage not to turn tail and run. He couldn’t do that to Zero. Not to the _real_ people of this city. 

“Oh, you can drop the tough guy act, dear Axl. Seriousness never worked for a thing like you, anyway.”

  
  
Axl raised his guns higher, and it earned a disappointed sigh from Wesker.

 

“Please, drop the guns, I know you don’t have the stomach to shoot me. After all, we used to be lovers.”

 

Axl’s life blood began to boil. “We… were _not_ lovers! You tricked… you _used_ me! All of us! Raiden, Zero, Maverick, _everyone!_ Sunny, she -- she’s dead, and it’s all because of--”

  
  
“Axl, please, you’re going to give me a headache with all that yelling. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a few more projects I’d like to show you. I _sincerely_ hope you enjoy them. I worked _very_ hard on them, _especially_ my special project. Happy trails, my little Reploid.”

 

Axl fired off several shots, but by the time his finger touched the trigger, Wesker had already phased out of the way, and off to god knows where. When the silence fell once more, Axl finally began to collapse.

His spark began to ache like it was splitting in two. His grip on his guns loosened until they dropped onto the concrete streets with a hard clatter, yet the Reploid’s hearing sensors were quickly overwhelmed with the hum of the air once more. Yet, this time, he gave into his fear, his hopelessness, his heartbreak, and began to cry and scream out all of it. Hands made contact with his helmet until they went back enough and gripped onto his striking auburn red hair that exited from the rear of his helmet. It wasn’t long before the Reploid curled in on himself, shaky breaths consuming his breathing as the tears dripped down his face.

He screamed until his throat was raw, and his eyes ran out of tears to shed. It was minutes before the young Hunter was able to stabilize himself, and rise from his position on the ground. Wiping away his tears, Axl sniffled and took in a deep breath to stabilize himself further. This had to be finished, no matter the cost.

  
Axl wandered the streets, travelling closer and closer towards the origin of the signal, where the terminal resided. Floors upon floors later, Axl reached his destination with a wave of relief washing over him. He opened a fortified door to a terminal, ready for the taking. Human bodies laid upon the floor, and Axl’s relief was briefly replaced with sorrow before he made his way to the main operating table, and began to examine the technology.

The screens had data glitching all across them, yet the main screen was untouched. Axl knew that Wesker had left this one intact just for him to find. He was toying with him. With that knowledge in mind, Axl took a deep breath, and began playing with the menus, murmuring to himself as he did so.

  
“Ok, so… Dok said something about an access port, and a… firewall. Right, ok, so… let’s get to work.”

 

An hour passed before Axl was able to break through the code, allowing his codec to pass through, yet the force field still remained erect. He tapped into his codec with a frightened tone, eager to hear a familiar voice that wasn’t trying to kill him.

 

“Z-Zero! Raiden! Doktor! H-Hey! I made it, w-what do I do now?”

  
  
“Ah, there he is! Axl, you’ve made it to the terminal?”

  
  
Axl placed a hand upon his forehead, stress threatening to consume him.

  
  
“Yeah! Y-Yeah, what do I do now?”

  
  
Before Doktor could respond, Axl heard a relieved laugh and sigh, one that was none other than Zero’s voice. It brought a flicker of hope to his spark, causing his nervous systems. He had never been so relieved to hear another voice.

  
  
“Zero! What do I gotta do to shut down the barrier?”

  
  
“Dok said there’s supposed to be some kind of USB port at the terminal. Take the USB you got from Dok and insert it, and open the file labeled ‘Dok-ATK.EXE.’ That should shut down the shield and all other EM interference within the minute.”

  
  
Reaching for the USB Axl kept in his storage port on his back, Axl let out a sigh, and inserted the USB. Panic almost consumed him when it didn’t enter right away, but he quickly flipped the USB, and it slid in, and he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

  
  
“Man, human technology is _weird_. How come the USB thing never works the _first time?”_

 

Zero himself couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, yet quickly instructed Axl to continue.

  
  
“Ok Axl, just open the file, and get outta there. Once the download is complete, the building’s gonna collapse. We’ll meet with you before then for pick-up.”

  
  
Axl had done a quick nod before reaching for the keyboard. As he began to press buttons however, Zero’s voice came through the comms once more.

  
“Oh, and Axl?”

  
“Yeah,” Axl paused, his fingers hovering over the keys. “What’s up? Was there something else?”

  
There was no hesitation. “You’re doing great, bud. Oh, and congrats on becoming a Hunter. Officially.”

  
  
Axl smiled, and pressed the enter key. Within a few moments, the barrier came down, and Zero and Raiden were on their way.

-

Everything didn’t exactly go as planned. Zero and Raiden had just begun another argument when the building had begun to collapse, despite the countdown to destruction being incomplete. The three of them had raced to the roof, and had to make due with their current LZ. Raiden was busy directing Boris to their current location when the roof suddenly began to quake beneath them. Looking out ahead of them, Axl was able to spot the helicopter pad breaking in two. What followed was a rising platform, and with that, Wesker. Yet, he wasn’t alone. Axl’s spark skipped a beat.

  
“Oh, great. Guys, we’ve got company!”

Zero and Raiden turned their attention towards the oncoming danger, and once they recognized their old companion, the two of them both held faces of disdain. Raiden’s, of course, was much more obvious.

 

Raiden couldn’t help but let out a groan.

  
“Oh, great. We’ve got company.”

 

A cry came from Axl. “That's what I _just_ said!”

  
Zero’s intuition urged him to look closer however, allowing him to spot Wesker’s own companion. Taking out his Z-sabre from its sheath, Zero positioned himself for battle, and narrowed his gaze onto Wesker.  
  
“Yes, but even our company has company. Get in position.”

 

With a single gesture, Wesker struck fear into Axl’s spark. His hand motioned towards the being next to him, and it took Axl less than a second to recognize what it was.

  
  
“A Reploid!”

  
  
“Oh, but not just _any_ Reploid, Axl. This one is modeled after you, as you can see. Beautiful, isn’t he? Made from you and Lumine’s schematics and fitted with the most powerful virus yet, it’s _sure_ to be a hit with the masses. I’ve stripped away that pesky free will option you Reploids possess however, so I wouldn’t expect him to be making any decisions based on his… _‘free will’_ or anything like that,” Wesker took a pause, and raised his brow. His smirk had also returned, proud as ever. “Well? Do you like it?”

  
  
“As much as I enjoy you,” Zero cut in, blade at the ready.

  
“Ah, of course, you have company. I almost forgot. You and your little buddies are no match against me. But my special project will take care of them… _promptly._ ”

  
  
The building had begun to rumble once more, all the while Axl had his eyes set on the new model. It was almost an exact copy, the Reploid’s eyes fixed sharply on Axl’s position. Every move he made was being watched. The very sight of the Reploid had begun to cause Axl to tremble in its very presence.

 

_**WARNING: T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES UNTIL BUILDING COLLAPSE. WARNING: T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES UNTIL BUILDING COLLAPSE. WARNING: T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES UNTIL BUILDING COLLAPSE.** _

 

Wesker couldn’t help but chuckle at their little reminder. He placed a gloved hand on the Reploid’s shoulder, and leaned into the Reploid’s ear.

“Destroy them both, but leave the black Reploid be. He’s _mine_ to finish.”  
  
At his command the Reploid stepped gracefully off the podium, and reached for its guns. As it did so, the incoming sound of a helicopter cut through the noise with impending force, causing all of the present company to look up at the sky. A helicopter hovered down just low enough for Wesker to hop on, yet before the helicopter took off, Wesker poked his head out to shout a final farewell to Axl.  
  
“Ah, my apologies, I forgot to mention his name. His name is Sai, and he’ll be enjoying your destruction quite a bit. Enjoy!”

 

Raiden made the quick decision to tap into his comms, linking into Boris’ signal.

 

“Boris. How soon can you get to our location?”

 

“About four and a half minutes. Why, what’s happening?”

 

Raiden let out a groan, unsheathing his own sword as he positioned himself next to Zero.

 

“We just made a new friend. Hurry, Boris.”

  
  
“Understood. I'm on my way!”

 

Zero narrowed his emerald eyes at their new foe, his body tense with anticipation. He needn’t ask if the others were ready, they were already positioned at his sides, weapons at the ready. All were prepared for what was to come. Axl, however, was visibly shaking, but Zero knew better than to command the new Hunter out of a fight.

-

It all happened so quickly. There wasn’t even time for Zero to exchange a command to the others before the Reploid presented as Sai lunged forward at the three of them. Sai targeted Zero himself first, the two immediately clashing in a flurry of sparks and bullets. Bullets were fired from Sai’s gun next to Zero’s hearing receptor, causing him to grunt and flinch at the sound. The flinch caused Zero to take a misstep, allowing Sai to let out a cry of fury and use his foot to sweep Zero from underneath his feet. Zero ended up letting out his own cry, this one of surprise as he slammed into the roof hard enough to crack the concrete below him. He had managed to catch a glimpse of his foe’s expression when he had fallen. There wasn’t a sliver of emotion on the young Reploid’s face, yet Zero could tell there was a fragment of a soul in his eyes. There was something in there, something resembling the free will of a Reploid.

But this was no ordinary Reploid. It was a Maverick, the kind Zero had trained to kill all his life, and he was no pacifist.

Without a moment of hesitation, Zero took the young Reploid by the arm as the other attempted to go for his throat, and slammed him down next to where he laid. A snarl was present on Zero’s lips, and he wasted no time hiding his fury. He positioned himself atop Sai, and followed through with the other Reploid’s previous attack, only this time, he was the one who succeeded. He held him down in a struggle of power, the two of them attempting to shift the weight of the other. Axl hadn’t been shooting, for he feared he’d hit Zero. Raiden was waiting for the opportune moment, and when he noticed that Zero had Wesker’s creation pinned down, he lunged forward, calling out to his companion.

 

“Zero! _Zandatsu!”_

 

Zero looked over to lock eye contact with Raiden. In an instant, without a word, Zero lifted Sai by his throat and chucked him straight into the air. Within a few moments the Reploid recovered from the throw, using the boosters on his feet to stabilize himself.

Axl watched in awe as Zero and Raiden began to run directly towards each other, in complete silence, uttering not a word, yet understanding everything that was being said. Zero leapt off the ground, Z-Sabre in hand, and let out a cry. Sai’s eyes continued to dart back and forth between Raiden and Zero, attempting to understand and predict their attack until it was too late. By the time he had begun to realize what was happening, Zero was already too close, and struck the first blow with Raiden close in tow. Zero’s first hit left Sai nearly paralyzed, yet his boosters stubbornly continued to operate, allowing Raiden to make his own leap and cry, and striking in the same place as Zero. Seizing the opportunity, Axl finally fired at Sai, leaving the Reploid to cry out in agonizing pain as he crashed into the roof, leaving him stunned.

There was an exchange of pride as Zero and Raiden looked at each other once they had both landed after their blows, and for a moment, their smiles held true until Sai began to rise from the roof. The two of them positioned themselves back next to Axl as Sai sparked and slowly rose from the ground. Axl was the first to speak.

 

“Did we get him?”

  
  
Sai finally rose from the ground enough to make eye contact with the trio. His blank expression had been replaced with an infuriated snarl, and a purple aura began to resonate around his body.

 

“No,” Raiden let out a small groan as he positioned his sword once more. “We just pissed him off.”

 

What made Zero’s internal systems plunge was what came next. Sai rose to his feet, resembling too closely of a memory in his past. The expression, the aura, the screams, it was all the same. It caused the experienced Maverick Hunter to seize up, enough to cause Raiden to put a clawed hand on his shoulder. There were murmurs coming through his hearing system before Raiden’s voice fully came through.

  
  
“Zero. Zero! Hey, now isn’t the time to seize up. Boris is almost here. We’ve gotta get this done. Whatever’s bothering you… we’ll sort it out later.”

  
  
Zero let out a sigh, and returned his gaze to be set on Sai after giving a quick nod to Raiden. There were no other words that needed to be said.

 

-

 

By the time the battle was nearly over, Axl could feel the exhaustion beginning to set in. Doktor still hadn’t upgraded him and Zero, so they were still susceptible to fatigue. Axl’s damage system was reporting severe damage on several parts of his body, yet he continued to fight alongside the two of his companions without a second thought to his injuries. Zero had become wounded from Sai’s continuous onslaught, leaving Raiden to defend him and for Axl to attack Sai. Sai may have been programmed to not kill Axl, but that doesn’t mean that his punches hurt any less.

Axl was standing on his own two feet still, swaying a little as the nausea began to catch up with him. Zero was left unconscious in Raiden’s arms with Axl providing back-up as Boris began to lower the chopper. Each time a bullet missed Axl’s spark felt dimmer and dimmer. Sai had barely sustained any damage throughout the fight, leaving Axl to wonder what exactly he was made of when the words of Wesker resonated through his mind.

“Raiden, get Zero on the ‘copter! I can take Sai until we’re clear!”  
  
Raiden had most likely responded to Axl, but the Reploid could barely hear a thing over the sound of their approaching ride. Axl had managed to fire off a few more shots, giving cover to Raiden as he leapt into the helicopter with Zero in tow.

 

_**WARNING: T-MINUS THIRTY SECONDS UNTIL BUILDING COLLAPSE.** _

 

Axl’s breath had caught in his throat. He followed his instincts and leapt up towards the helicopter, using his boosters to do so. The sound of the collapsing tempted Axl to look back, yet he resisted the urge in order to remain focused on the helicopter. Even though they had all evacuated the citizens in time before their encounter with Wesker, Axl still worried for the citizens of the city.

The wind whipped past Axl’s face as his hand reached the helicopter floor’s edge, and for a moment he believed for himself to be in the clear. Of course that belief was quickly diminished once a heavy weight was placed on the Reploid’s foot. Looking down, the Reploid was met with the sight of an enraged Sai managing to hold onto his foot, using his own boosters to propel himself. Axl let out a startled cry, attracting the attention of Raiden.

 

“AH! Ah, shit! I forgot he could fly! That he was made after me! Oh, crap…! Let go let go let go!!”

 

Raiden nearly dropped Zero on the floor of the helicopter’s cabin when Axl cried out in fear. Axl and Sai began to have their own battle in the sky as the two tugged and pushed at each other in the air. Sai continued to go for Axl’s boosters as the chaos of the collapsing building crumbled and roared down below them. The air current began to suck the helicopter down with it, leaving Boris to fight with the wind for control over the helicopter. The wind began to suck all of them down, leaving everyone but Sai and Raiden to yell for their lives.

Raiden was forced to lay Zero down on the floor of the cabin, and with a single swing laid down a strike on Sai’s robotic arm. The Reploid let out a cry of pain as he was forced to let go of Axl out of pure instinct. He faltered, dropping down a few feet in the air, allowing Axl to steady himself, and climb into the ‘copter. Heavy breaths of panic escaped Axl as he glanced back at the destruction, and watched as Sai was continuing with more futile attempts to resist the collapsing building.

The Reploid had almost managed to succeed in his task when he a sharp blast of energy cut through the air straight past Axl’s head. He watched as Sai was struck with a blast of blue energy, and watched as the spawn of Wesker finally could no longer resist something as powerful as gravity. The debri consumed Sai until no more of him could be seen, and instead of relief, Axl felt only confusion and regret. Doubts had begun to seep into Axl’s mind when Raiden’s rough voice suddenly cut through the air.

“Zero,” Raiden blurted as the Reploid sighed, returning his blaster back into his wrist. The cyborg scooped Zero up as if he weighed nothing, and, for someone such as Raiden, he pretty much didn’t. Sparks from the sustained damaged were still coming off of Zero’s damaged body, leaving Axl and, to everyone’s surprise, Raiden, concerned. Some of Zero’s cables were visible, leaving Raiden to handle the experienced Maverick Hunter like a relic.

 

“It’s over. We’re heading back to base. Rest easy.”

 

Zero couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “It’s never over with us Reploids, Raiden. Sai will come back, that’s for sure. Besides, I--”

  
  
Axl watches in confusion as Raiden begins to smile at Zero, and Zero, to Axl’s surprise, smiles back. In a twisted and pained sort of way.

 

“Stop looking at me like that,” Zero begins in a deadpan tone, his brows furrowed together. Axl’s own are furrowed as well, but more so in confusion. He watches as Raiden lets out a scoff of amusement.

 

“Right, how could I forget? You guys just never seem to die.”

 

“Says the cyborg.”

  
  
“Says the Reploid who’s died more than once.”

 

For the first time in a long while, Kevin and Courtney popped in, this time with more amused tones.

  
  
“Um, guys? What happened to--”

  
  
“Shh,” Courtney cut in sharply, cutting off Kevin briskly. “Let them have their moment.”

  
  
Zero and Raiden both perked up in unison, with Axl left with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing _and_ hearing.

 

“What,” Zero and Raiden both chimed in at the same time, their voices light with the unknown knowledge of their current nature. The two noticed their shared unison in their responses, and a light laughter broke out between them. The laughter continued long enough to freak Axl out, leaving him to ask:

  
  
“Guys, what’s so funny? No seriously, guys, I don’t get it. Guys? Guys!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading this! If you've made it this far, I assume you actually enjoyed the fic. Well then, welcome to my crack ships that I actually take very seriously. Please leave Kudos if you enjoyed! I might make more fics or one-shots in this universe, but that all depends on this actually getting some love. Until then this work will not be marked as a series.


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